Rwanda: Audio Review - Mississippi Records: From Zambia to Rwanda

An independent label that began in Portland and now based in New York, Mississippi Records is devoted to ethically documenting overlooked music--often by working directly with… Read more »

Senegal: Afropop Living Room Session 1 - Aba Diop & Yermande Family

We are proud to introduce the first edition of the Afropop Worldwide Living Room Sessions. This edition features Aba Diop and the Yermande Family, a band that blends Senegalese… Read more »

Senegal: Hervé Samb, Part 1 - a Guitar Legend You Didn't Know You Knew

Over the years, there have been several documentary films focusing on the session and touring musicians you've heard but never really knew, such as The Wrecking Crew (2008) about… Read more »

Morocco: Jaylann Rallies Moroccans With Remake of 'Ha Wlidi'

The Moroccan singer Jaylann has stirred deep emotions in Morocco with her song and video "Ha Wlidi." The song is a reworked version of a 1972 hit by the legendary Moroccan… Read more »

Morocco: Saha Gnawa - Daniel Freedman On the Band's Debut Album

Saha Gnawa joins a long list of ensembles that offer a fresh take on the renowned healing musical tradition of Morocco and Algeria. Gnawa music, with its loping, cyclic grooves and… Read more »

Africa: Afropop Top Videos - Burna Boy, Jagger, Rocky Dawuni, Kizz Daniel and More!

Today we have seven new Top Videos to recommend. If there's a theme, it's genres colliding from reggae to rap, Afrobeats, a dreamy ballad, classical music elements, and a couple of… Read more »

Senegal: Cheikh Lô Celebrates 50 Years in Music With New Album, Maame

It's been some 10 years since Senegalese maestro extraordinaire Cheikh Lô has released an album of new songs. And for this one, he's pulled out all the stops. Maame… Read more »

Africa: Maya Kamaty - Maloya Is Always in the Mix

We first interviewed Reunion Island chanteuse Maya Kamaty back in 2019 when she was in Montreal to perform at Festival International Nuits d'Afrique. We loved her vision of… Read more »

Cote d'Ivoire: Tyrane Mondeny - New Powerhouse Voice of Cote d'Ivoire

At the 2025 Nuits D'Afrique Festival in Montreal, we met old friends and saw well-established stars like Femi Kuti and Meiway. But one of the best things about this festival is the… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: Naxx Bitota - Making Modern Mutuashi

Having covered both the Montreal International Jazz Festival and Montreal's Nuits d'Afrique Festival for over a decade, we can say it's very rare for an artist to play at both… Read more »

South Africa: David Jenkins, Aka Qadasi, Champions the Roots of Zulu Maskandi

Afropop fans are likely familiar with the life and music of the late Johnny Clegg, the South African-born English boy who snuck out into the Zulu townships during apartheid and… Read more »

Africa: Ilê Aiyê, Afro-Bloco Veterans Back in the USA!

Thirty-one years ago, in 1994, Afropop was invited to Salvador, Bahia, Brazil for the Fest in Bahia festival. It was a trip full of revelations, including attending an Olodum… Read more »

South Africa: The Mahotella Queens Are Back! a Talk With Hilda Tloubatla

Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queen, pioneers and now torch-bearers for the 1960s mbaqanga sound of Soweto, were one of the first African bands to rock my world. When Sean Barlow… Read more »

Morocco: The Big Three of Moroccan '70s and '80s Music

In the 1970s and '80s, three groups dominated the musical scene of Morocco: Nass al-Ghiwane, Jil Jilala and Lamchahab. Manned by five explosive talents, Lamchahab was arguably the… Read more »

Africa: Afropop Worldwide - the First Intern in the Hot Summer of 1989

In my world, I strive to be the character-narrator of my own life experience. As the world we knew falls apart, this is one of those moments when you are asked to overcome fear and… Read more »

Africa: African Artists Shine On the Shazam Global Top 200 Chart

Our friends at DKC News just posted this exciting news... Read more »

Africa: Afropop Top Videos - July, 2025

This summer has had us out and about more than online, so the month's list is short. Three of these offer more of a calming respite from the dog days of summer than boogie and… Read more »

Africa: Ron's Field Report - 39th Annual Festival International Nuits d'Afrique

Earlier this week, we posted Banning Eyre's first take on the 2025 Nuits D'Afrique festival in Montreal, with promise of more to come. Now, here's our man Ron Deutch's report. Ron… Read more »

Africa: Nuits d'Afrique Festival Delivers, for the 39th Time!

North America's premier African music festival, Nuits D'Afrique in Montreal, just wrapped up its 39th edition. Afropop Worldwide was there, and we caught 22 bands, many of them… Read more »

Africa: Montreal Jazz Fest 2025 - a Feast for Eyes and Ears!

It's festival season in Montreal! The Afropop team has just returned from the 39th Nuits D'Afrique Festival, and there will be lots of reporting rolling out from our thrilling five… Read more »

Africa: Fandom, AI, and the Future of Independent Artists

UBUNTU Read more »

Nigeria: Madé Kuti Wants to Know - Where Does Happiness Come From?

Madé Kuti, son of Femi, grandson of Fela, is carrying on the family's Afrobeat tradition with distinction and originality. For his debut 2022 album Forward (which we… Read more »

Africa: Fatoumata Diawara Recaps Her Mexican Adventure With Africa Express - Bahidorá

Launched in Mali in 2006, Africa Express is a global collaborative community of musicians. At first, the idea was to link Malian artists like Toumani Diabaté, Bassekou… Read more »

Africa: A Conversation With Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams Directors of Neptune Frost

AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, the Peabody Award-winning series by Black Public Media (BPM) and WORLD, is bringing another gripping season of powerful films, featuring… Read more »

Africa: A Conversation With Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams Directors of Neptune Frost Afropop - the Ultimate Cultural Exchange

AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, the Peabody Award-winning series by Black Public Media (BPM) and WORLD, is bringing for another gripping season of powerful films,… Read more »